Promises Are Made to be Broken
by Takara Taji
Summary: Chihiro has passed on and Haku regrets everything he didn't do. Chinatsu ventures into the Spirit World and meets up with Haku. Is she really Chihiro's reincarnate? Will Haku get a chance to redeem himself or is she really gone forever?
1. Young Hearts, Old Hearts

**It's been a while since I've written a story here, and I hope this turns out to be a good one. I cannot tell you where I plan to go with this, but then again, that would ruin it, ne? Hope you like it!**

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Promises are made to be broken. That is what I have learned in life. Hearts break, tears fall, friends drift apart. Thoughts and beliefs of what once were are destroyed and what could have been is drowned. I had a promise made to me once. It was a long time ago, when I was young and naïve. I knew it would come true. Well, that's what I thought. Now I believe and know differently.

Things happen that you cannot prevent, therefore pulling you from the promise you once made to someone you once loved. I don't know what happened to cause it to fall apart, bit by bit, but the only sure thing is that it did, and my life has been made miserable once again. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into years. Now one day passed when I did not think about that promise.

Two young hearts pulled apart by age. The importance of what once was diminished and became unimportant as the years slowly drifted by. So therefore the promise, made almost a lifetime ago, was put to rest until she became young again, causing her to yearn for the only one that made her life complete.

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An old woman lay dying in a hospital bed. There was no one around to comfort her as she breathed her last breaths, no one to hug her or talk to her as her life slowly washed away. But this was no different then the rest of her life. She had lived her life alone, slowly growing weaker with age.

Around her wrist was a purple hair band. Not once had it shown its age, unlike its human owner. It looked just like it had when she received it as a little girl. She reached and slid it off her wrist and with shaking fingers, dropped it into the garbage that sat near the bed. The monitor near her head could be heard with it's constant beep, beep, beep… and as the hair band hit the bottom of the can, it sounded like a gun shot to her ears.

As monitor slid into a thin line, one last vision came into her mind of a young boy with shoulder-length black hair, leaning eagerly towards her as she grabbed his outstretched hand, once again young, and once again filled with hope that a promise could be fulfilled.

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**Please review! I want to know what you guys think of it so far!**

**p.s. Don't worry, not all chapters will be this short. XP**

**_Takara Taji_**


	2. Regret

His life wore on, year after year. Never passing on, never being killed. Unlike a human, he lived forever, and that was the most painful thought he could ever bear to endure. It was his mistake. He had been young and naïve to make a promise like that knowing that she was a mortal human being. He would never see her again. He knew that he would not be able to cross into her world, and only once every 25 years does that tunnel open. Yet still he made that promise to her. He looked into her shining chocolate eyes and promised her something he knew he would not be able to keep. She must have passed on years ago. She would be 82 this year, and that was old for a human. He felt he deserved to live his life knowing he had hurt her and lied to her. It tore him apart inside to know what he knew, and that was what he had to live with. He would live on forever, filled with guilt and sorrow, and that was his own damn fault.

The wind from the dry river bed pulled at his long dark hair. He squinted his dark green eyes into the sun, dying to see her again, if not just to apologize for leading her wrongly.

A woman approached him from behind, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You've been thinking too much of this recently Haku," she said gently.

"And it's my fault too. I deserve to be miserable for what I did to her," he replied, his voice no more then a ripple in the wind.

"It doesn't matter anymore. She most likely has passed on already. There is nothing more you can do."

"That is what hurts me the most Rin," he turned to look at her, removing her hand from his shoulder. "She lived her entire life thinking she would see me again because that is what I promised her. She probably led a miserable life and I was the cause."

"How in the world do you know that?" Rin asked, her voice rising slightly. "She may have led a _wonderful_ life! She may have married a wonderful man and bore wonderful children. You cannot say her life was miserable because of you when you have not seen her for over 70 years."

"Maybe not Rin. Perhaps you're right. I am dwelling too much over this." His voice was not convincing to Rin, but even more so to himself.

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A mother in southern Japan goes into labor late at night. After ten hours of a painful struggle, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. Her head is covered in beautiful brown locks, her wide and innocent chocolate eyes bring in the world surrounding her. Tears of joy stream down Miya's face as she views her newborn daughter, beautiful and healthy. 

"Isn't she wonderful?" Miya asks her husband, Takeshi, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. Too choked up to answer, all he does is nod. His beautiful little girl… was all he could think.

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**These first two chapters are kind of like a booster for the upcoming story. So I'm sorry if it's kind of slow, but the actual story should start up soon. I hope you like it and please review! And they should start getting longer... I hope, at least XP **

**_ Taraka Taji_**


	3. De ja vu?

Fourteen-year old Chinatsu and her parents Miya and Takeshi Maruyama were in the car on their way to a new house. Her father had been offered an excellent job and they immediately took up the offer to be relocated almost ten hours away into southern Japan. She lay in the back seat with her feet up on some boxes, holding a necklace her best friend Saka gave her as a going away gift.

"It's a pretty small town," her mother mused, looking out the window. "Chinatsu, look! That's where you'll be going to school."

"I don't care," she replied dryly, making no effort to glance out the window.

"Well it looks like a decent little town," her father said, turning up a hill. "I think it will be a nice place to live."

"I liked Hokkaido," Chinatsu replied. Her parents decided it would be hard to convince their daughter otherwise and it was quiet for the next few minutes, until Takeshi turned onto a tree-lined road with cinderblocks lining the curb. They drove for a few minutes before he stopped, looking around.

"Did we take a wrong turn?" her mother asked.

"I don't know..." Takeshi replied. "We can see if this comes out near the house, but if not, we can turn around."

Miya nodded in reply as her husband started slowly down the bumpy road. Chinatsu was now sitting up, staring out the window at the passing trees. A statue of a monkey passed. Her heart began to pound and it echoed in her ears. Her chest ached as if something, or someone, was pulling on it. _What is this? _She thought to herself, gripping her jeans. _Why am I feeling this way? _

As they turned a corner, Chinatsu gasped as a large red tunnel came into view. Her heart pounded in her ears and she ached to get out of the car and discover something she'd already discovered. Yes, it felt like she had been here before, but that couldn't be possible. The most southern she had even been in this country was Tokyo. There was no way she could have been here before. Yet something convinced her otherwise. As her dad stopped the car and gaped out the window at the sight before him, Chinatsu opened the door and stepped out.

"Chinatsu!" her mother cried. "Get back in the car we're turning around."

"But…" she started, "could we explore a little bit?" she offered, stepping forward next to another large monkey statue.

"Chinatsu, come on, get back in the car," her mother continued to press.

A gust of wind blew at her back, pushing her forward. "The wind…" she whispered. "It's trying to pull me in." Leaves swirled around her feet then continued on into the tunnel. She could see a small speck of light where the tunnel came out on the other side. She started forward, and her parents were still sitting in the car, calling her name, insisting for her to return to them. She shook her head. She had to find out what this feeling was about. Why was she nervous? Did her heart know something she didn't? As she entered the tunnel she heard a car door slam and her mother's feet sounded behind her.

"Chinatsu what are you doing? I said get back in the car this instant!"

"Please mother?" the girl pleaded. "Let's just see what's on the other side. It won't hurt." There was no force in her voice or any emotion at all for that matter. She wasn't focusing on her parents or her voice. She was focusing on some sort of feeling inside of her, knowing that she had to go in and find out what was there and what was calling to her.

Miya hesitated before sighing and following her daughter. "Come on Takeshi. Just a short look won't hurt."

He obeyed his wife and got out of the car, locked the doors, then jogged after them. It was a long walk through the tunnel, and with each step the wind grew stronger and stronger around her thin form. Her parents didn't seem to notice. Finally they emerged on the other side onto a beautiful field of bright green grass. "Oh my goodness it's so beautiful!" her mother exclaimed, stretching her arms above her head. "Oh Takeshi, Chinatsu, look!" she pointed ahead of them as they continued up the hill and saw many rooftops. As they drew closer, the smell of delicious food greeted them. "Mm… smells delicious!" Takeshi exclaimed, helping his wife up the rocky stairs.

Chinatsu calmed down slightly as they walked the cobblestone street. Restaurants lined the curb and a wide staircase could be seen in front of them. What lay at the top of them, Chinatsu could only guess, but the wind continued to pull her in that direction.

"I wonder what this place is," her mother started curiously, peering into the dark windows of each passing restaurant. "That's funny, they're all closed."

"Strange…"

"Well it's a beautiful place and I'm sure…"

Chinatsu didn't hear what her parents were talking about. Her eyes were fixed on the stairs in front of her. A train's whistle could be heard in the distance. _Why does it feel like I've been here before?_ She cried to herself, stepping on the first step. She pulled herself towards the top, step by step as her parents fell further and further behind. The sun was setting before her and cool winds whistled through the empty buildings. As she grew closer to the top of the stairs, her heart sped up again, the pounding beats echoing in her ears. Her legs shook as she took the last step. Before her was a magnificent bath house, and before that was a beautifully built bridge. Anticipation grew in her chest as she took a step towards the bridge, her parents forgotten. The train's whistle grew closer. She approached the railing on the bridge and looked down, just as the train came out of a tunnel. From what she saw, it carried no passengers.

A presence to her side startled her and she jumped away from the railing with a small squeal. She gasped and covered her mouth, unable to breathe. Before her stood a handsome boy. He was probably a little older then she. Long dark hair reached his shoulder blades and thin, dark emerald eyes pierced her own gaze. There was something familiar in his eyes, but she could pick it out. Did he look like someone from her old school? No... that wasn't it. It was something more important. But what seemed strange though, was that the boy seemed just as surprised as she was. He reached out his hand to touch her cheek and Chinatsu took a step back in surprise. He quickly withdrew his hand. "Is it… really…?" He started, the shock from seeing her still at full force. "Chihiro?" he whispered hoarsely, knitting his eyebrows.

"I… my… my name is Chinatsu," she stammered. "Who… who are you?" she managed to force out.

"But… you look just like her…" he whispered, his surprise slowly diminishing.

"Who? Chihiro?" she wondered, guessing that was who he through she was.

He shook his head, regaining his composure and suddenly became incredibly serious. "That doesn't matter any more," he replied forcefully, and was there anger in his voice? "You have to get out of here! You don't belong here."

"What?" she questioned, suddenly confused.

"You're just like her, and you don't belong here."

"Tell me what you're talking about!" she demanded.

"It doesn't matter! Just go!" he pressed his hand against her shoulder and spun her around to face the way she came, and then added to himself: _before I make a mistake and hurt you too._

_

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**Well the story has officially started, so I hope you guys like it. Honestly, I don't know where it's going, so if anyone has any suggestions on anything at all, feel free to tell me in your reviews. But this isn't a bad thing I have no clue where it's going. All my stories start out that way. XP** _


	4. Separated and Alone

Just as the strange boy pushed her back towards the direction of the tunnel, Chinatsu heard a shriek from her mother.

"Mom!?" she called back, immediately forgetting the strange encounter and dashing back down the stairs. Large human-shaped shadows were slowly gliding over and through the streets, surrounding the restaurants and opening the sliding paper doors. Her parents were panicking and began to run towards the tunnel, calling her to follow them. "I'm coming!" she shouted back, reaching the bottom of the stairs. As she reached the stairs that led to the beautiful green field, now dark from the lack of sun, Chinatsu saw her parents already at the edge of the tunnel.

"Chinatsu!" they called again.

"I'm almost there!" she called back, but just as she set foot on the grass, water surrounded her and she jumped back. "What?!" she screeched, as water quickly rose to well above her waist.

"CHINATSU!" her mother screamed again, but her voice faded with the splashes of water. She had no choice but to scramble back up onto the stone steps. Soaking wet and beginning to shiver, she looked longingly across the newly formed river, completely confused and at a loss of what to do. This was not the same world she had just left. There were shadow figures roaming everywhere and suddenly a river is formed? She just wanted to be back with her parents and she even would have liked to get to that new house. Anywhere was better then here! She was alone and scared.

She knelt there by the river, shivering, and as the sky grew darker, lights shone from the other side of the river. What were they coming from? She looked down at her hands, tears threatening to spill, but they stopped with even more confusion and surprise. She could see the ground through her hands! "No… what the hell… is happening?!" she whispered fiercely to herself, standing up and putting her arm to her face. Sure enough, she could see straight through her arm. Beginning to panic, she took off at a run back towards the buildings, now completely lit and surrounded by… things of all shapes and sizes. The shadows seemed to have transformed, to all different sorts of creatures, from what looked like ducks to peoples covered in sheets with strange patches. "What…?" she gasped to herself, immediately losing the courage to ask for help. Instead, she curled up into a ball in a dark corner and began to cry.

Mom… dad… she sobbed to herself. She just wanted to go home, wherever that was. A few minutes later she heard soft padded footsteps running across the grass in front of her. She looked up with a gasp and saw that handsome young man she had run across earlier. "What do you want?" Chinatsu asked, partly out of frustration and partly out of fear.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to help you."

"Why? Because I look like that Chihiro girl?" she countered, frowning and pressing herself firmly against the brick wall behind her.

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Something in your eyes tells me that you're not only the Chinatsu you say you are."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" she asked, slightly offended that this boy would accuse her of not knowing who she was.

"Eh…" he started uncomfortably, "I didn't mean it rudely. I just… something about you…"

"We've already decided I look like Chihiro, whoever that is, but I'm _not _so you can just drop it, and possibly focus on the fact that I'm DISAPPEARING?!" she offered sarcastically, raising her voice slightly.

"Yes, that's why I was going to help you." He reached into his white tunic and withdrew a small berry. "Eat this. You need to eat some food from this world or else you'll disappear forever."

"Forever?" the girl repeated, staring that the berry in the boy's hand and then at his face, her heart speeding up at how close he was to her.

"Yes, forever. Now eat this."

It seemed like she had heard these words before, but she didn't know from where. _I just want to help you… You need to eat some food from this world or else you'll disappear…_

Why? Maybe there was more to her then she knew. Maybe her heart did know something she didn't and maybe she shouldn't be so rude to this boy and listen to his words. Perhaps she could figure out why she has been feeling this way and what this place even was. But maybe she already knew.

Chinatsu took the small berry from his fingers and ate it, cringing at the bitter taste. "Could you have at least given me something that tasted a little better?" she complained.

He gave an apologetic grin. "It was the only thing on me," he replied, standing up. "Now listen. You need to return home. You were not made to live in this world."

"You don't have to convince me of that," she snorted, standing up.

"I'm going to give you directions to Kamajii. He is the old spirit who runs the boiler room. You will be safe there for the time being."

"Kamajii? Spirit?" she questioned, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"You'll see. I need to go tend to some business, so I will not be able to lead you and help you."

The thought of being alone in this strange place was fairly unnerving, and she gripped his sleeve. "No," she whispered, suddenly nervous. "Don't leave me alone in this place…" she cried slightly, a begging look in her chocolate eyes.

_She looks _just _like her! _He told himself for the tenth time that night. _How can she not be? It just doesn't make sense. That a human would again venture into this world, the third human in the _history _of this world in over thousands of years, and not to mention someone who looks just like Chihiro! She's the spitting image of her! _He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts and answered Chinatsu's request. "No, you can do it on your own. I will show you how to get there…" he placed his hand on her forehead and images appeared in her head, and it was like the way was implanted into her memory and her nervousness subsided slightly. When he finished, he looked her in the eyes and said very seriously: "no one will see you until you cross the bridge. But if you HOLD YOUR BREATH, you will continue to stay invisible to the spirits around you, and will make it much safer for you."

"You keep on saying things about safety," Chinatsu started. "Am I in danger?"

"You will learn about most later. I will meet you in the boiler room later after I attend to my business, all right?"

There was kindness and compassion in his voice and the look in his eyes soothed her even more. Just before she let go of his arm to leave towards the man known as Kamajii, the boy leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead ever so gently. She was startled, but didn't pull back. His touch completely drained any nervousness or insecurity that was in her body.

Just as he pulled away and began to leave, Chinatsu reached for his arm again. "Thank you for giving me this courage Haku."

The boy stared at her eyes, surprise and shock clear in his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked hesitantly after a moment.

"What… I…" that was when she realized what he was surprised about. "How did I… know your name?"

Haku stepped forward and hugged Chinatsu tightly. "Be safe," he whispered in her ear, the warm breath against her skin sending a shiver up her spine. As suddenly as he had appeared to her, he disappeared, darting off towards the bathhouse.

"Haku…" she whispered to herself. "Who are you to me?"

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**Hope you guys like it! I got the next few chapters written on the drive home from Colorado, but I'm going to wait a little bit in between updating the chapters. So hope you guys continue to read and please review!!!**

**_ Takara Taji_**


	5. She's Not Coming Back

She followed the map Haku implanted in her mind. As she approached the bridge, she ran into many strange spirits going towards the bathhouse, and frogs and other women greeting the spirits. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the bridge. She rushed across the bridge, remembering Haku's words when he said they wouldn't be able to see her. She gasped for air when she reached the other side, then continued on.

* * *

"Is it true Haku," the old witch started, "that another human has ventured into this world?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied flatly. "Is this what you called me about?"

"It is, and don't lie to me mister."

"I'm not your slave anymore, and haven't been for a long while. I will tell you what I wish to tell you."

"Chihiro is dead."

"What was the point of that comment?" Haku growled, anger quickly building.

"There is a human girl in this world. Don't think I don't know."

"What's your point?" he repeated, clenching his fists.

Yubaba laughed. "Oh Haku, I am the ruler of this bathhouse and my power is immense. I know what goes on in this world. I know of this human girl and I know what she looks like. Don't think for one minute that you can fool me and make me believe you _haven't _thought of the fact that the girl is Chihiro."

Haku growled to himself. Yubaba was right. From the moment he saw her, the fact that she could be Chihiro's reincarnation passed through him and lingered in his mind.

"The possibility is great Haku," Yubaba continued. "That a girl that looks just like your old girlfriend approaches the tunnel when it happens to be open and comes tromping into this world, and you encounter her in the same place you encountered Chihiro. This is no coincidence Haku and you know it."

"Why are you trying to convince me she's back? Knowing you, you have some ulterior motive and only want to use her for your own gain."

"On the contrary Haku, I was going to offer her a job, an actual job with good gold pay. Then she can stay here as long as she wishes."

"She is not the same person as Chihiro. She is different and she wants to go home. I have not befriended her yet, like I did Chihiro. She has no reason for wanting to stay. Why would she stay here? There is no one she knows, she has no friends… she is not Chihiro."

"What if I told you there was a way to uncover the memories of her past life?"

"That's impossible," Haku replied angrily. "Don't trick me again."

"I have no intention of tricking you Haku! I want to help you. I know how much you want, and have wanted Chihiro back. I know how horrible you feel about making a promise to her you were unable to fulfill and I know how much you loved her."

For once, Haku had no reply.

"So, Haku, you can either believe me when I say there is a way to uncover Chihiro's memories in this girl, for which I will need your help, or you can not believe, and return the girl home and never see or hear from her, or Chihiro, ever again. What do you say?"

"I need to go meet her in the boiler room," Haku replied, turning around.

"You just don't wish to believe it, isn't that right Haku? That there could _possibly _be a way to bring your beloved Chihiro back to you."

"NO!" Haku screamed, one of the few times he ever raised his voice. "No matter what you do in an attempt to resurface memories from Chinatsu, she will NOT be Chihiro! No one _ever _will be! You cannot bring back the dead!" his throat closed up and tears threatened to spill. His voice began to crack and waver as he continued. "No matter how much Chinatsu looks like Chihiro, no matter how much they sound alike, or how similar their memories are, Chinatsu will NEVER be Chihiro! You cannot let me fall in love with her like I did with Chihiro, so don't even try! Chihiro's NOT COMING BACK!" A hot tear escaped and trickled down his cheek as he turned around and darted out of the room.


	6. Girl's Chat

As Haku approached the boiler room, he heard giggles from the other side of the door.

"Just a word of warning Chinatsu," he heard the old boiler man start. "They will make your clothes quite dirty with soot."

The girl only giggled more. "That doesn't matter. They're so adorable!"

Haku smiled. She did not have the same personality as Chihiro did. But then again, she was four years older then Chihiro had been when he had met her. Haku leaned against the wall outside the door, not wanting to enter the room quite yet. Chihiro had changed so much while she had been here in the spirit world. Perhaps this was what she had been like four years after she returned to her world, but Haku hadn't known. "Chihiro…" he whispered. "Are you really here? No, you are dead, never getting a chance to see me ever again, when that's what I promised you, and that's what you wanted." A small sob escaped his throat, despite his attempts to hold it back. "I'm so sorry…" he choked out, sliding down the wall and tucking into a ball on the floor, his knees hiding his face and his tears, which where extremely rare, but were frequently becoming more common.

A few moments later he heard soft footsteps padding against the wooden floor. His ears picked up a basket being set on the floor and the footsteps stopping next to him. He knew who it was but didn't look up, not wanting her to see him in this sort of condition. "Haku…?" Rin whispered gently, placing an arm around his shoulders. "Don't tell me this is more about Chihiro." When she received no answer, she continued. "You told me you'd given up on this years ago," she said softly.

After taking a few deep breaths and letting his eyes dry a little, he looked up and straight ahead, not looking at the woman by his side. "I'm taking it Yubaba hasn't informed the bathhouse…"

"Informed us of what?" Rin questioned, sitting back slightly, her arm still around him.

"That a human, another one, has come."

"What?!"

Haku nodded. "She is fourteen years old, and the spitting image of Chihiro."

After several silent moments, Rin asked, "Where is she?"

"In the boiler room."

Just then they both heard a laugh and Kamajii said something to the girl. Rin's eyes widened. She stood up and took the few steps needed to open the door that led to the boiler room. Haku reached out for her hand. "But Rin, no matter how much she looks or acts like Chihiro, she's not. Don't make the same mistake I almost did. It took Yubaba to show me the truth, and she needs to go home. I was going to help her with that as soon as I spoke to Yubaba, which I just got back from."

Rin heard Haku, but didn't acknowledge it. She slid open the door and crawled in, Haku behind her, completely recovered from his tears. "Rin! Haku!" Kamajii greeted when he saw them. Chinatsu was covered in soot, and several soot balls were perched on her shoulders and head.

"Hello Kamajii," Rin greeted, then added, "and who's this?" even though she knew well enough.

"My name is Chinatsu," the girl greeted, and bowed to the older woman, who looked about in her mid-twenties.

"Nice to meet you Chinatsu," Rin returned the bow. She did look just like Chihiro, only a few years older. Is this what Chihiro looked like four years after she left the spirit world? Rin wondered to herself, looking at Haku with a look that told him she knew what he meant with what he said to her just minutes before.

Haku approached Chinatsu. "It looks like you're fitting right in."

She shrugged, never really answering him. "So what now?" she asked. "Am I going to get to go home?"

Haku nodded, a pain pulling at his heart. No matter how much she looked and reminded him of Chihiro, he knew she needed to go home. She belonged there, not here. "Yes, but you must wait until tomorrow. The tunnel is only open for ten minutes for three days every twenty-five years. It has already closed for today. We'll have to wait until tomorrow, which is the second day it's open."

"Oh… so how do you know when it's open."

"I sense it," Haku pointed to his head and Chinatsu laughed.

"It's true," Kamajii replied, just as three bath tokens rattled down in front of him.

Rin had been standing quiet for a while, staring at the girl, immediately feeling connected with her. "Come on Chinatsu," she started, grabbing her hand. "I'll show you around and we can hang out together, just us girls. What do you say?"

"Sure! Sounds fun. Might as well make the best of this situation."

"Of course, who wouldn't," Rin replied.

As they made their way upstairs, Chinatsu remembered something Haku had said. "Haku said if I held my breath while crossing the bridge, I would remain invisible to spirits. So how come you and Kamajii can see me?"

"It's to those who don't know you're here. Before I entered the boiler room, I encountered Haku who told me you were here. But for example, that spirit down there," she pointed to a spirit that looked like a duck. "That spirit has no clue a human is here, and therefore will not see you

"I see," Chinatsu mused. "That makes sense."

"Yes, but you must be careful. Yubaba also knows you're here. Who knows what she'll try to pull on you."

"Is this Yubaba mean?"

Rin shrugged. "You could say that. She likes to do things for her own personal good. The last human who ventured into this world was a very good worker, and Yubaba made up a test that was almost impossible to pass so she could keep her as a worker there forever."

"If she's the leader of this bathhouse, why didn't she?"

"Because she made a deal with Haku, promising she'd send her home if she was able to pass the test. She wanted to break her deal with Haku, but Haku was no ordinary spirit, and in anger could easily overpower Yubaba. But this human was no ordinary girl either, and she passed the test, rescued her parents, and was able to go home."

"Chihiro," Chinatsu said, half to herself.

"You know of her?" she hadn't known Haku had told her.

"Yes, Haku called me Chihiro the first time he saw me."

"Hah. A typical mistake for that guy."

They both laughed a little. After Rin got them something to eat, she led Chinatsu up to her room where they sat to relax a bit. "Why was Chihiro so important to Haku?" Chinatsu asked as she bit into a dumpling.

Rin laughed. "He loved her."

"He did?"

Rin nodded. "And she loved him as well."

"So why did she go back to her own world if she loved him?"

"Because she knew she belonged there. She was a terrified little girl when she came into this world, and I don't believe the thought of ever staying here crossed her mind. She wanted to rescue her parents, whom Yubaba had turned into pigs. She wanted to go back to her own world because that was the place she was familiar with."

"Haku seemed so surprised when he saw me. I could have been Chihiro, couldn't I have been?"

Rin shook her head and sighed. "Chihiro came here almost 90 years ago. We don't age _nearly _as quickly as humans, as you can see. While we age 1 year, a human ages almost 20. I may look like I'm 25, but in reality I'm almost 500 years old.

Chinatsu's eyes widened. "Wow…" she muttered.

"So as you can see, Chihiro would have died long before us, and she did."

"Mm…" Chinatsu looked down at her hands.

"But I'm going to tell you something. I don't know how you'll take it and I don't know if Haku has considered it yet, but from seeing you and hearing what Haku has said about you, this is what I think from many years of experience in this world and in human lives."

Chinatsu looked at her expectantly.

"I have a feeling that you could possibly be Chihiro's reincarnation."

It took her a while to respond. "What?" she finally managed to croak out.

Rin nodded. "It happens here, and it happens in the human world."

"How do you know?" she asked, more forcefully then she had intended.

"Because I used to live in the human world," Rin replied. "Haku is the spirit of the Kohaku River. I am the spirit of a woman who died almost 500 years ago. That is who many of the spirits here are. The spirits who look like humans are the actual spirits of human beings well passed away. The other un-human characters are spirits of rocks, mountains, wind, trees, etc."

"But what about Haku? He looks human."

"Yes, but since Haku is a more powerful spirit then most, he has two forms: his Kohaku River spirit form and the form you know him in."

Chinatsu nodded, and then shook her head. "But wait, get back to the subject of me being Chihiro's reincarnation. That's not possible, it's just not."

"It's very possibly Chinatsu. It is a fairly large concept to grasp, but it could very well be true."

"So you're telling me my life, the life I'm living now, is not my original life? I have lived someone else's life first?"

"Yes, that's pretty much it. In fact, you could have lived three or four lives before this one, although that is extremely rare. People are only reincarnated usually once or twice before traveling on to the afterlife."

"No, I don't like this," Chinatsu replied, frowning. "This is my life and no one else's!"

"Of course it is! But it's not you're _first _one, that's what I'm saying, and I believe you understand that too, don't you?"

"Yes, but I just… I don't know…" she sighed, defeated by this concept of being a reincarnation of someone else.

Rin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Chinatsu. You're you, and not Chihiro. You know how I know this?"

"How?"

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but Haku didn't fall in love with you at first sight like he did with Chihiro."

Chinatsu's eyes suddenly sparkled. "It was love at first sight!?" she gasped, "That's so romantic!"

Rin laughed at the girl's sudden change in mood. "Yes I believe it was. Now don't tell Haku I told you all this or he'll have my head. He gets pretty sensitive and embarrassed about this subject." She leaned over and whispered close to Chinatsu's ear "He doesn't like to admit that he was head over heels in love with a girl."

They laughed for a while until footsteps behind them startled them both. "What were you telling her Rin?" Haku's voice sounded, mock anger on the surface.

The spirit laughed nervously. "Oh, nothing," she replied, leaning her head back. "What are you doing here Haku?"

"Yubaba sent me. She wants to see Chinatsu."


	7. Offer to Stay

**Sorry it took so long guys, but for some reason the site wasn't letting me upload any documents. But here it is now, so enjoy!**

* * *

"Yubaba wants to see me?" 

"What for?" Rin asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm only the messenger. But I assume it can't be for Chinatsu's good, but there's only one way to find out. We can't disobey Yubaba."

The entire way up to Yubaba's Chinatsu's heart was pounding in her ears, like when she first arrived in the spirit world. She was a little afraid of what Yubaba would be like, but there was a picture in her mind that she had pictured ever since she heard her name. She was tacky, very tacky. She had a large face and an abnormally large nose. She had a ring on almost every finger, a blue dress, and her long gray hair was up in a bun. The only reason she thought this was most likely the way this old witch looked was because everything else she had thought seemed familiar, and so this probably was as well. And sure enough, when they entered the office, Yubaba was exactly as she had pictured.

The old witch studied her for several long moments. She felt like a flea under Yubaba's gaze, and she just wanted to shrink away and disappear. "Haku was right," she finally spoke in a crackly old voice, "you look just like her."

Chinatsu didn't speak. She didn't know what to say, or what she _could _say.

"Rin, Haku, I am going to kindly ask you to step outside."

"Kindly?" Rin snorted. "Hardly."

"Don't make me turn you into a pig Rin…" the witch warned.

Haku grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "Come on Rin, she'll be fine."

Haku's eyes met Chinatsu's and his heart almost melted with the begging look the girl held in those chocolate eyes, just pleading for them to stay. She was terrified to be left alone with the witch.

After the door clicked shut, Yubaba turned back to the terrified girl. "I can see you shaking," the witch said with amusement. "You seem quite different then Chihiro. Honestly, I don't know what that dragon saw in her. In my opinion, forgetting about Chihiro and going after you would be a much more realistic idea for one such as him."

Once again, Chinatsu was silent.

"Now you're probably wondering why I called you up here."

"Yes ma'am," she replied quietly, suddenly remembering her manners and attempting to be polite.

"I am going to offer you a job."

"A job?" Chinatsu squeaked out.

"Yes, a job, with excellent gold pay."

"I just want to go home," she managed to reply.

"Oh but child, this is an offer one with a brain could never refuse."

"I don't care, I just want to go home." She could feel her confidence returning and more courage entered her in an attempt to stand up to this witch.

"Now let me just tell you. Now, as we all know, you are indeed Chihiro's reincarnation."

"How do you know that for sure?" she countered.

"It's obvious darling. I've had my share of encounters with previous reincarnates many times, and this one is no different. Anyway," Yubaba stood up and walked around the desk and stood before Chinatsu. "My job offer for you is to be messanger, with Haku, I might add, between the little town countries in this world. It's a very interesting job, and people love it. You get to travel all around, and you'll be with Haku, he will be your escort, protecter, and company. Now it is often..."

"Not interested," Chinatsu inturrupted, turning around to leave.

"Hey I'm not done yet child!"

"I don't care! Why in the world would you think I would accept some simple job offer I could accept anywhere in my OWN world?" she shouted, clenching her fists.

"Because I need you to stay here!" the witch blurted out frantically.

"What?" Chinatsu started, confused.

"If you take that stupid messanger job I could care less! But I need you to stay here."

"Why?"

"Spirits would flock from the other side of the spirit world to see Chihiro and get service from her because they heard she was extremely nice. My workers were in a better mood before she left, and then returned to their normal state shortly after she left."

"Since when have you cared about the well-being of your workers?" she snorted, then gasped and covered her mouth.

Yubaba's eyebrows quickly raised.

"I... don't think that was... me," Chinatsu stuttered after several silent moments.

"Most likely Chihiro speaking from within you."

After a few more stunned moments, Chinatsu's eyes narrowed. "Since when have you cared about the well-being of your workers?" she repeated with raised eyebrows. "Perhaps Chihiro will stop me from making the biggest mistake of my life."

"I have always cared about them! They help keep my business running!"

"Listen, do what you want to, but I... _we, _need you here. Haku, Rin, Kamajii, the soot balls even, the customers, the workers... if they know you are Chihiro's reincarnation this place will be booming with business! And I'd give you 1/4 of the profits!"

"How do you know the 3/4 of the profits that you will keep will be more then what you make now?"

"Believe me Chinatsu, they will be. Business has already picked up in the day since you've been here."

"So you're going to use me for business? I don't think so. I just want to go home," she sighed, exasperated that the old witch would not drop the subject.

"Chinatsu, you will learn to like it here more then your old world."

"No I won't learn, because I'm not going to stay!"

"Yes you are!"

"NO!"

"Hate to dissapoint you, but I have plenty of ways to make you stay."

"I won't fall for any of your tricks! Chihiro made that mistake, I won't!"

"Hm... now you're even beginning to remember what happened in Chihiro's life. Interesting."

This just enraged the girl even more. She turned to run out of the room, but Yubaba flew up behind her, one large and wrinkled finger around her neck. "Sign this!" she snapped, thrusting a piece of paper before her. "Sign it and you'll get to leave for god's sake!"

"How do I know this isn't one of your tricks?"

"Do you want to go home or not?" the witch growled, removing her finger from the girl's neck.

She _did,_ but how did she know that this signature wouldn't bind her to this world or something? She felt a tugging at her heart. She wasn't sure if it was Chihiro trying to warn her of something of her wanting to go home, but she took the chance. Yubaba wouldn't let her out of here otherwise.

"Why would I need to sign something to go home?" she questioned, taking the slip of paper.

"You're already bound to this world, so now you must unbind yourself," Yubaba sighed in annoyance.

Slowly, Chinatsu took the pen Yubaba handed her. "I don't want to sign this."

"Then you're not going home!"

She wouldn't have a choice anyway. If she didn't sign it, Yubaba would keep her here by force, and if this was indeed one of Yubaba's tricks to keep her here, she would have been forced to stay here anyway! It didn't matter what she did. The result would most likely be the same, unless this was really what Yubaba said it was: a signature to let her go home.

Slowly she lowered the pen to the paper and signed: _Maruyama Chinatsu._


	8. Fate

Haku burst into Yubaba's office just as the witch took the document from Chinatsu's trembling hands. The witch let out a chuckle. "You're just a little too late Haku."

"What?"

"What?" Chinatsu repeated.

"What do you mean you old hag?"

"She's signed my contract. She's not leaving now."

"She'll never be as good as Chihiro if you keep her here by force! Why did you do that?" Haku screamed, then immediately turned to the girl. "Why did you sign that?" he screeched, pointing to the contract.

"I… I… I didn't have… any choice," she stammered. "She said I could go home if I signed it, but if I didn't, she would keep me here by force. I didn't have a choice!" she replied frantically. "I would have ended up staying here anyway!" tears welled up in her eyes and she fell to her knees.

Haku knelt beside her. "It's not your fault. She tricked you."

"Yes and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"You greedy old witch!" Haku screamed, lunging at the old woman, who quickly evaded him. "Let her go home! She doesn't belong here!"

"Yes she does Haku. She needs to stay here."

"Why?" he seethed.

"Oh I have my reasons. Let's just say… I know things."

"Like _what?" _Haku snorted.

"If this girl goes back to her world, she will _die." _

Both Chinatsu and Haku gasped.

"How do I know this isn't another one of your tricks?" Chinatsu wondered slowly.

Yubaba shrugged. "You don't, I guess. But there's only one way to find out. You either go home and risk finding out that it's true, or stay here."

"I'm not staying here! I don't believe you one bit!"

Yubaba shrugged. "Suit yourself. But frankly, you're just going to throw away a pretty good life."

"That's my life to worry about, not yours!"

"This is what will happen: you will attempt to find your way to your new house, where your parents now are. While crossing the road, a car will come speeding around the corner, hit you head on, and kill you instantly."

"I want proof," Haku growled. "Show us what you're telling us is true."

"All right," she responded fairly enough, getting up and pulling out a small mirror from a drawer. "Now come and look into this," she instructed Haku and Chinatsu. The two walked hesitantly forward. "Now this mirror shows me the human world, or Chinatsu's world, up to three days into the future. If Chinatsu went home today, like originally planned, this is what would have happened." Yubaba waved her hand over the mirror as if swatting a fly and images came into focus. Chinatsu saw herself walking hurriedly down the sidewalk, eager to get home. She saw herself looking both ways as she reached a crosswalk, and as she approached the other side, a small car sped around the corner, tires screeched, and before she had time to dart out of the way, hit her head on.

Chinatsu gasped and fell to her knees, gripping her chest, immediately short on breath.

"Chinatsu! What's wrong?"

"It almost felt as if it… really happened," she gasped, pulling in shallow breaths of air.

"Now you see," Yubaba started, replacing the mirror. "In reality, I just saved her life."

"But now what am I supposed to do?" the girl asked frantically, regaining composure and standing up. "Am I never to see my parents again?"

"Perhaps you can leave tomorrow, since then that car will have already gone by," Haku suggested.

Yubaba shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Are you forgetting something Haku? Today is the last day that tunnel opens for another 25 years, and those ten minutes that the tunnel is open is fast approaching. She won't have time. And also…" the witch added, "it is obvious she was meant to die today. If she avoids the car, death will find her another way. Death is inevitable for you if you go home today. However, if you stay for another 25 years, that fate can be changed."


	9. Lord Mimato

"How am I supposed to stay here for 25 more years!" Chinatsu repeated for the millionth time later that night. Rin, Haku, and Chinatsu were leaning on the railing of the bridge enjoying the cool air. "I can't do it… I just want to go _home…"_ tears welled up in her eyes, and Haku was terrified of telling her that the tunnel had just closed up moments before.

Rin put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all right Chinatsu. You'll enjoy it here. And when you can go back, you'll be able to see your parents again."

"I'll be 35 years old when I go back! My parents will have assumed me dead long before then!"

_That's right…_ Haku started to himself. _Humans are mortal. They grow old, and they die quickly._

"So, how can my fate be changed? By just staying here for 25 years? I don't have to do anything?"

Rin and Haku looked at each other. "Well…" they both started.

Haku took the initiative. "You need to meet the leader of the spirit world."

"I do?" the girl squeaked.

He nodded. "He needs to approve that you are no threat to this world."

"How could I be a threat?"

Haku shrugged. "He could probably think of something."

"That's bad though…"

"We'll just have to see what happens."

"So when do I have to do this?"

"Yubaba has already contacted Lord Mimato. He should arrive in a few days."

"A few days… all right…" she was nervous. Of what, she didn't know. How bad could it be? She was no threat to this world. She would be careful staying here so she could safely return home in 25 years.

"Chinatsu, don't worry about a thing," Rin said, patting the girl on the back. "Everything will be just fine. And when Lord Mimato decides you can stay here until the tunnel opens next, we'll have the most fun ever!"

Chinatsu giggled, the older girl cheering her up slightly. "All right, that sounds okay."

Haku smiled. He could see Chihiro's eyes in Chinatsu's. They were bright, just like Chihiro's were when he had promised they'd see each other again. But they had grown dull with age and false hope. He didn't want to see that happen to Chinatsu's as well. He would do anything to prevent that from happening. Chihiro's spirit was in with Chinatsu's, looking at him, looking at everything that was happening. He didn't want her to see another broken promise. She had one failed life, and she didn't want another. Haku wouldn't let that happen. He smiled a sad smile at Chinatsu just as she looked his way.

"Is something wrong Haku?" she asked.

The spirit took a deep breath and shook his head. "No. Nothing. Just reminiscing about the past," he replied quietly.

Chinatsu felt she should say something, since it obviously wasn't nothing, but couldn't find the right words.

Rin broke the awkward silence by announcing that it was getting late, and that they should head back to the bathhouse.

"You two go on ahead. I'm going to stay out here a while longer."

Rin nodded. "All right Haku, see you later."

"See you in the morning," Chinatsu waved as she headed back inside with Rin.

Chinatsu turned around to wave once more to Haku, but he was no where near the bridge. She looked up into the sky and saw a streak of white darting back and forth.

"Haku?" she whispered, thoughtful.

Rin turned to face her. "Hm?"

She motioned to the sky. "A dragon?

"Yes. That's Haku."

"Wow…" she whispered.

"He's a powerful dragon. I have a feeling you will experience that power sometime firsthand."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know. I'm sure you'll find out."

"All right…" she replied slowly, confused.

Rin laughed. "Just come on you. Haku needs to go mope about over Chihiro's lost life some more."

"Lost life? What do you mean?"

"She had a miserable life and he was the cause. He believes it's his fault that she was so miserable, because she was waiting for him the whole time. He blames himself and is still not over it."

"Oh… I see. That's sad."

"It is, but it's about time he just got over it already. But he's a dragon and it's in his nature to be stubborn."

The two girls giggled before heading upstairs.

_Haku… I wish I could somehow let you talk to Chihiro._ Chinatsu thought to herself. In just the couple of days she's been here, she has come to depend on Haku and she cared for him. That was one thing she wanted to do for him: let him talk to his beloved Chihiro once more.


	10. Attacked and Injured

The next few days were agonizing for Chinatsu. She could think of nothing but of this Lord Mimato. What would he be like? Would he like her? How should she act around him? Should she dress nicely? How will he treat her? What will he say? Questions flooded her mind and invaded her thoughts. She paced the room every night because she couldn't sleep due to these thoughts.

One such night, Rin awoke due to the girl's constant steps, and sat up with a jerk. "Dammit Chinatsu, get a hold of yourself girl! It's no big deal. Just calm down! If you're as fidgety as a butterfly he'll no doubt say you'll bring danger due to uncertainty!"

Chinatsu sighed. "I'm sorry… I suppose I'm worrying a little too much."

"A little?" the older woman repeated. "Now get to sleep. He should be arriving tomorrow."

"Great…" she muttered, laying back down on the futon. An hour or so later she was finally able to fall into a fitful night sleep. She awoke in the morning, slightly rested, but awake enough to emotionally deal with the thought of this Lord coming to the bathhouse for her and for her only.

"So when's he coming?" Chinatsu asked in the morning.

Rin shrugged. "Who knows. He'll come when he wants to, I guess."

"Where's Haku, anyway? I haven't seen him since he flew off that one day."

"Good question actually. He normally doesn't disappear for days on end without first giving an explanation."

"I see…" she mused, partly to herself.

"Well, we'll just have to see when…" she stopped in mid sentence when she heard a crash upstairs. Both her and Rin dropped their rags and ran towards the stairs. "What was that?" Chinatsu asked.

"We'll just have to see." Rin was shouting directions at employees to keep the customers calm and comfortable. Yubaba was out that morning on business, so Rin automatically took over control.

When they reached the fifth floor, in the doorway of one of the rooms shattered wood and glass stuck in the ground. Thrashing could be heard from within the room.

"Haku…?" Rin whispered.

"Haku?" Chinatsu repeated, glancing over at Rin as she followed her to the room.

Sure enough, as they peered through the doorway, a very injured Haku lay on the ground, attempting to stand on a hurt leg.

"Jesus Haku, what did you get yourself into this time?" Rin questioned accusingly, cautiously approaching the wild dragon.

As Rin and Chinatsu both took a step forward, Haku swept them back with a flick of his tail. They hit the wall with a hard thud.

"What the…?" Rin started, just as a huge flash of light hit the broken window and Haku, who went flying through to the complete other side of that floor.

"HAKU!" both girls screamed at the same time, as they uncovered their eyes from the bright flash. It was dying down and Rin glanced over at the source and there lay a small ball with some sort of creature in it, most definitely dead.

"A spell!" Rin gasped, standing up, seeming to think for a second. "One of Lord Mimato's!" and suddenly, as if forgetting Haku was there, suddenly remembered and darted over to him through the rubble, Chinatsu close behind.

"Haku!" Chinatsu cried as she saw the dragon now back in his human form, unconscious and bleeding, injured and broken.

"God dammit Haku… what did you _do_?" Rin wondered to herself, carefully examining the extent of his injuries.

Chinatsu had been unable to say anything except his name. Why was Rin so calm? Has this happened before? Finally she found her voice. "Why did this happen?"

"Lord Mimato has something to do with it. That spell that did him in was one of his. It was powerful… much more powerful then Yubaba's.

"What do we do?"

"Take him down to Kamaji. He's taken care of Haku before."

"This has happened before?"

"Not to this extent. Last time was when Chihiro was here…" she trailed off.

They were both quiet for a few moments before Rin shook her head. "Help me wrap up these gashes really quick and we'll take him down to Kamaji. His shirt will do… it's already ruined."

Rin gently tore off his shirt and began ripping it in strips. "Tie these around any place that has not stopped bleeding."

Chinatsu nodded and quickly began. Ten minutes later he was roughly bandaged and Rin gently lifted him up. There was such care in her touch with him if Chinatsu hadn't known them she would have thought they had something together.

Chinatsu followed Rin as she carried Haku down to Kamaji's, Lord Mimato's spell still laying on the floor. Chinatsu looked back over her shoulder for one last glance at the spell, now just a puddle on the floor with what looked like a slug sitting in the middle.

Haku's head was resting gently on Rin's shoulder. He looked just like he was sleeping; his face had escaped unharmed. _Haku… what did you do? _Chinatsu thought. _Is Lord Mimato angry at you, or us? Is he here?_

As the trio reached the basement storage room that led to the boiler room, Chinatsu spotted a figure standing in the shadows. "Rin!" she whispered fiercely. The woman stopped, and followed Chinatu's outstretched finger.

"Who are you?" Rin demanded.

"Not a smart way to talk to a Lord…" a deep voice trickled off.

Rin gasped and stepped back. "Lord Mimato!"


	11. Chihiro and Haku

Chinatu's heart sped up. This was Lord Mimato! He was not at all like she had been expecting. He was extremely young, with a very slender figure and long robes draping down his back. Rings sparkled on only two fingers, unlike the several Yubaba had and jewels were embedded into his hair to form a crown. His face was long and thin with pale lips that barely moved when he talked. He was a good head or two taller then Rin, who was not a short person.

The Lord stepped out into the light a little more and Chinatsu suddenly found kindness in his red eyes as he looked down at Haku.

"I'm terribly sorry about the attack," he apologized sincerely. "There have been so many threats to the castle recently…" he reached out and brushed hair off Haku's pale cheek. "When he flew by… with such strong power... I only assumed. He truly has gotten stronger since I last saw him." Lord Mimato reached out his arms. "Do you mind?" he asked Rin.

The woman smiled and shook her head, transferring Haku's battered body over to the Lord's arms.

"I will take care of him. He'll be better in no time. But for now, how about we take this little meeting into some place a bit more… welcoming?" he offered, motioning to the door of the boiler room.

After several minutes of welcomes and talk with Kamaji and Haku was safely and comfortably laid down for the time being, the Lord addressed the topic he had originally been called for.

"Chinatsu, you are obviously no threat what-so-ever to this world. People like you, and even Yubaba isn't _too _angry about you refusing that job offer of hers. I know how hard it must be for you to spend your next 25 years here. You're lives are short. This will be a good chunk of your life. I wish there was some way I could send you back home, but I'm afraid even my powers are not that strong."

Chinatsu hung her head. "It's alright. I've come to accept the fact."

"Good for you. I'm sure it's not easy. Anyway though, I do have another matter that I would like to discuss."

Chinatsu looked up expectantly.

Lord Mimato glanced over at Haku, then back at Chinatsu. "It's such an amazing coincidence."

"What?"

"Chihiro… and then you… he's already fallen in love with you, because you're so similar to her. But of course that should be expected, since you are her reincarnation."

"Where's this going?" Rin asked, suspicious of something.

"I'm just going to get straight to the point. Over my hundreds of thousands of years of practice, I have a way to bring Chihiro's memories, personality, voice, and even looks back to the surface for 24 hours. It takes much concentration, and can be physically exhausting to both the mind and body. Now you don't have to do this at all… only if you wish to. I bring this up because Haku has been through some hard times ever since Chihiro left. Mostly it's been emotion, but that began to wear down physically on him as well. I want him to know that Chihiro still loves him, even though he was never able to see her again. Chihiro is happy now… I can sense it in you."

"You want me to do this for Haku?"

"Only if you want to. Chihiro sees what you see, yet she is never able to do anything about it. She is trapped within you. I cannot separate you because you are her and she is you, except with two minds. You feel a pull towards Haku? It is Chihiro's desire to be with him – to hug him or to kiss him. That's what you have been feeling ever since you got here. That pull you felt when you first arrived at the tunnel? Chihiro. The feeling of de ja vu you had whenever you saw something or met someone? Chihiro as well. Even though you are two separate minds, she has more of an effect on you then you may think. If you just let her take control, even if just for a few hours, then she'll back off, knowing she got her reunion with the man she loves. In her mind, Haku's promise _did _come true, but it's up to you to allow this to happen."

Chinatsu didn't know what to say. It was so sad. She felt so sorry for Haku and Chihiro. She has never been in love. She has never known what it's felt like to have a broken heart. She could feel Chihiro's breaking just sitting there. She longed to see Haku again.

Almost as if the Lord had read her mind, he spoke. "Ninty percent of reincarnations happen because the one being reincarnated feels they have some unfinished business from their previous life. Chihiro's was most likely the fact that she still needed to see Haku. Now she has, but it's not enough. Only you can finish that and finally let Chihiro be happy and complete for the rest of eternity. Her life would be complete and she could pass on peacefully. The only thing…"

Chinatsu held up her hand, tears gathering in the back of her eyes. "You don't need to say any more," she whispered, fighting to hold back tears. "No more. I'll do it for her, for Haku… for _them. _It's the least I can do."

* * *

**Hey guys, I know I've just started writing the story again... I took a long break. And please guys, if you read those long reviews I got from a jerkoff who only cares about how good things are - don't become like that. No one likes it. However, one of those long reviews is from pot kettle black, who was actually trying to help me, not to critisize and say how bad my story is, when I know there are people out there who like it. **

Please review!!!!! Thanks for reading!

Takara Taji


	12. Reunited

Are you ready Chinatsu?"

She didn't know quite what to expect, but she knew she had to do it for them. Haku was standing, staring at the ground, his hands clasped together. Was he nervous? She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Do it. I'm ready."

Lord Mimato took a similar stance as Haku. His hands were folded together with his index fingers pointing down. He closed his eyes and bent his head and began muttering words Chinatsu couldn't understand. After several long moments, she began to feel dizzy. "Ooh…" she groaned, falling to her knees.

Haku was ready to help her at any moment, but decided against it. This was normal.

Lord Mimato's voice was getting louder and louder. The last words Chinatsu heard were "Set her free!" and everything went black.

* * *

Haku's heart almost stopped. Rin, Lord Mimato, and Kamaji sitting off to the side all disappeared. It was just him and the girl. Who was she exactly? He wondered. Chinatsu? Chihiro?

She was kneeling on the ground, her head down, hair covering her face. Slowly her head came up. Chocolate eyes blinked up at him. The facial features were slightly different then Chinatsu's. Her chin was a little more round, eyes slightly further apart. He would remember that face anywhere.

She was frozen in that one spot on the ground for so long, Haku wondered if she would ever move. Slowly Rin and Lord Mimato reentered the picture.

"Chihiro?" he whispered hesitantly.

She blinked again, then a smile slowly spread over her lips.

Haku let out a sigh and closed his eyes. She's really here…

She stood up, and turned to face him.

He took two giant strides to her and hugged her like he would never let go. He had waited for this moment for almost 100 years. He let out a shaking breath and buried his face in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his back and they stood like that for several minutes. Reluctantly, he pulled back.

"Chihiro…" he whispered.

She smiled and his heart melted.

"Haku, would you like to go talk somewhere?" were the first words out of her mouth. All he could do was nod.

They walked together, and she took him to the bridge.

"This was where we first met here in the Spirit World. You remember that?"

"How could I ever forget," he replied.

She leaned on the railing and stared down at the railroad track.

"Chihiro… I'm so sorry," he finally managed to force those words out.

He saw a sad smile on her face. "It's alright. I was naïve and only thought of myself. But after living through a full life I've come to understand that things happen. However, I couldn't leave this world without seeing you once more."

"So you chose to be reincarnated."

"I worked in Chinatsu's life. I made it so she would come here. When I eventually passed on as Chihiro, I realized why I was never able to come back, or why you to me. It must have been because I was then a spirit as well. The secret of the tunnel revealed itself to me. It took a lot of work to get Chinatsu to come here, but hey, I had to do something instead of just sit and wait for her to stumble upon this world." A small chuckle escaped her mouth.

"I was pretty amazed when I saw Chinatsu for the first time. I thought it was you. But I knew it wasn't. You had… passed on a long time ago."

"It's been so hard to watch you develop a relationship with Chinatsu just like you did with me. I wanted it, but I know that's impossible. This body belongs to Chinatsu, and I don't have much time. I have just enough time to see you again and tell you that I love you. I always have." Chihiro looked up from the bridge and walked over to Haku, who placed his hands around her neck.

"I know. I loved you too."

Chihiro rested her head on his chest. "As much as I don't want this moment to end, it has to. My life is now complete because that promise has now been fulfilled. I would never give up until it was. That promise was never broken, Haku. Me standing here with you is proof of that. You don't have anything to apologize for anymore."

* * *

**So how was that guys? I know it's kind of short, but a lot happened. Reviews would be amazing and they mean so much to me!! See you guys next chapter around!! **

**Takara Taji**


	13. First and Last Kiss

Several moments later Haku took a step back and tilted Chihiro's head up to look at him. "I love you Chihiro."

"I love you too, but this time as Chinatsu. You don't have to hold back anything any longer because of me and that promise."

And they kissed, a moment they had both been waiting for ever since their lives began. The kiss had several meanings. It meant that they both loved each other and that if they could, they would never be apart. It meant that the line between worlds could be crossed and love could flourish. It meant that neither one had anything to hide anymore, and lastly, it meant goodbye.

"I have to wait out the rest of this life in Chinatsu's body, but waiting another life time was worth it. That promise was fulfilled. I must wait out Chinatsu's remaining days with her, but I'll back off now. I know you love her because you love me, so don't hold back anymore. If you and I were meant to be together, then you and her were also meant to be together."

Haku laid a hand on her cheek. "I will. I'll love you, and then I'll love her." Those last words he had to force out. Tears were coming to his eyes and his throat was closing up. He wasn't _really _saying goodbye, was he? Chinatsu would take her place, and then he'd love her again.

"Haku, before I go, can I ask a favor?"

"Anything."

"Can I have a ride… one more time?"

Haku smiled softly at her, and a moment later he was standing on four feet instead of two, and his hair turned aqua blue and skin turned white. He took off with Chihiro on his back, and they both flew back in time, remembering a time that once was.

* * *

Several hours later Haku and Chihiro returned to the boiler room. Their faces were bright, but they had a sad and distant look in their eyes. They knew it was time to say goodbye. 

"Chihiro, you know you can stay here for a while longer," Lord Mimato offered.

"I know, but I have come back and done what I've needed to do. There's no point to stay any longer."

Lord Mimato nodded.

Chihiro and Haku held on to each other like they would never let go. One final kiss and their hands separated. Rin felt tears begin to fall down her own cheeks.

The Lord began to chant the same spell he had when he had released Chihiro. The girl fell to the floor and Haku bit his bottom lip, squeezed the remaining tears from his eyes, and ran over to her.

"Chinatsu?" he questioned quietly.

She blinked and slowly nodded.

A flood of love entered him. Was in different love, or was it the same? Did he love this girl just as much as Chihiro? Yes, he had to. This was who he was always destined to love, no matter what the name.

* * *

**I'm really sorry it's so short, but I felt like this was a suitable ending. I'll leave what happens in 25 years when Chihiro goes back up to you... or maybe later I'll write a sequel to this. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! **

Takara Taji


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